Journalist admits to acting as a Chinese agent, DOJ says

A 50-year-old man pleaded guilty on Thursday to acting as an agent for the People’s Republic of China within the United States, according to the Department of Justice. Thomas Weir Pauken II admitted to taking part in a conspiracy to obtain sensitive information from the American government for China, officials reported. Court filings noted that Pauken had lived in China since 2010 and worked for several media groups there, including China Central Television and Xinhua News.

Pauken attempted to infiltrate American political circles, gathering intelligence on certain political targets before reporting information back to his Chinese handlers, according to Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Eisenberg.

How was he getting information? Pauken knowingly worked at the direction of Chinese government employees from at least 2019 until early 2026, according to court records. One specific person he worked under, dubbed “Cathy,” tasked Pauken with traveling to the United States to scout possible intelligence assets. He was instructed to furnish people flagged as possible intelligence sources with laptops, phones, and other technology. Pauken issued reports to Cathy about the different intelligence assets and received at least $100,000 for the work, the DOJ reported.

Pauken also wrote reports for two other people in China, dubbed “Richard” and “William,” who claimed they sent the reports to Japan, but Pauken believed they worked for the Chinese government, according to the Justice Department. Pauken also sold reports to individuals in Wuhan seeking intel on technology and the Justice Department. The Wuhan individuals specifically tasked Pauken with finding an expert to help with cyber espionage, the DOJ noted.

This case showed exactly how far the Chinese Communist Party will go to undermine America’s democratic institutions and political freedoms, according to Roman Rozhavsky, assistant director of the FBI’s Counterintelligence and Espionage Division. Pauken is facing up to 10 years in prison and is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 1.